Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

John Carmichael (1 April 1893 – 20 December 1977) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

soldier and a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

(VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. Carmichael was 24 years old, and a

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in the 9th Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's), during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

when he shielded others from a grenade which he saw had been initiated. He was seriously injured by the explosion and could not walk for three years afterwards.

Incident

On 8 September 1917, when excavating a trench near Hill 60,

Zwarteleen Zillebeke (also known as Zellebeck) is a village in the Flanders, Flemish province of West Flanders in Belgium. It is a former municipality which is now part of Ypres. History On 3 March 1914 the then municipality was granted the arms of the l ...

, Belgium, Carmichael saw that a grenade had been unearthed and had started to burn. Rather than simply throwing the bomb out of the trench and endangering the lives of the men working on top, he immediately rushed to the spot shouting for his men to get clear, put his steel helmet over the grenade and then stood on the helmet. The grenade exploded, blowing him out of the trench causing him serious injuries, but no one else was hurt.

Aftermath

Honoured by home town

On 9 July 1918, Carmichael was honoured in a ceremony in Airdrie town hall, near the village of

Glenmavis Glenmavis is a village in the North Lanarkshire area of Scotland. It is about northwest of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Airdrie on the B802 road. It has a population of around (). Etymology The etymology of the name is ‘glen of the song-thrus ...

where he was raised.

Freemasonry

He was initiated into Freemasonry in Lodge New Monkland, No. 88, (Airdrie, Scotland) on 9 January, Passed on 23 January and Raised on 27 March 1919.The Great War 1914-1918 Victoria Cross Freemasons. Granville Angell. 2014. pp.97 - 100.

The medal

His Victoria Cross award is displayed at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum, Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire.

References

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a British historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took ...

(David Harvey, 1999) *

The Register of the Victoria Cross ''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the f ...

(This England, 1997) *

The Sapper VCs The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

(Gerald Napier, 1998) *Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995) * VCs of the First World War - Passchendaele 1917 (Stephen Snelling, 1998)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Strathclyde)''

'(cemetery & photo)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, John 1893 births 1977 deaths People from North Lanarkshire British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of World War I North Staffordshire Regiment soldiers Recipients of the Military Medal Royal Engineers soldiers Sherwood Foresters soldiers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from North Lanarkshire